Saddle up: Battleship Cove carousel to reopen

The beloved antique wooden carousel near Battleship Cove will be ready for riders by Memorial Day after being shuttered for repairs last August.

Jo C. Goode Herald News Staff Reporter @jgoodeHN

FALL RIVER — The beloved antique wooden carousel near Battleship Cove will be ready for riders by Memorial Day after being shuttered for repairs last August.

Over the winter the pavilion got a new roof and minor work on the carousel got it running again after it broke down last summer, said Kenneth Fiola Jr., vice president of the Fall River Office of Economic Development, the entity that owns the old carousel.

FROED is in the process of finalizing quotes to repair the front of the pavilion, he said.

The ride, built in 1920, was originally part of Lincoln Park amusement park in Dartmouth. When the park closed, the carousel was nearly shipped to New York to be auctioned off, but was rescued by a group of Fall River business owners.

The carousel reopened in Fall River on May 22, 1992, after it was refurbished. More than 250,000 riders enjoyed the carousel the first year.

FROED will seek a third-party partner to run the carousel, which also hosts private functions, Fiola said.

Before they can enter into any agreement, the Legislature will have to amend a 1991 law. Fiola said he met with the local state delegation on Friday to start the process.

The carousel is located on Department of Conservation and Recreation land at Fall River Heritage State Park.

FROED never entered into a lease agreement because the legislation would make the agency responsible for maintenance of the park and security.

“Obviously no third party would feel comfortable if we didn’t have a lease on the land,” Fiola said.

Despite not having a lease from DCR, the city was granted authorization to place the carousel and pavilion at that location through the legislation.

Battleship Cove has been managing the carousel for years at no cost to FROED and Fiola said he is still in talks with management whether they would be the third-party partner.